John Barresi

John Barresi (born June 1, 1975) is an American sport kite flier, kite designer, editor and owner of KiteLife magazine and KiteLife.com since 2002, leader of Team KiteLife performance team, and owner of Kite Forge design company.

John Barresi

Personal information
Born	June 1, 1975 United States
Occupation	Kite Performer, Kite Designer, Editor/Owner of Kitelife Magazine, Owner of Kite Forge.
Years active	1990-present
Spouse(s)	Takako Kishi Barresi (2009-2018) (Divorced)
Website	johnbarresi.com

Career

One of the most prolific currently active sport kite fliers in the world, Barresi started in the kiting community as an enthusiast in August 1990.[1] He started at a competitive level in 1991 and has since secured top rankings in a variety of sport kite disciplines (individual, pairs, team, dual line, quad line, indoor) in international competitions and in demonstrations as an invited performer.[2] He has served several roles at kiting organizations including President of the American Kitefliers Association, board member of Kite Trade Association International, and as a judge at competitions held around the globe.[3][4]

Attending the 2006 World Sport Kite Championships in Berck sur Mer France as a judge, he participated in organized quad line team flying for the first time and impassioned by his experiences there, formed Team iQuad with friend David Hathaway immediately upon returning to the United States.[5] Team iQuad would go on to win industry awards for promoting the sport globally.[6]

In 2008, Barresi was the youngest recipient of the American Kitefliers Association Lifetime Achievement Award.[7]

On August 23, 2019 at the Washington State International Kite Festival, he led a world record group of 101 quad line kites in team formation as the team captain, beating his own previous records of 81 quad line kites in team formation set in 2013 and another of 64 set in 2010.[8][9]

Barresi's award-winning kite designs include the Djinn, the Revolution B-Series, the Kymera, and the Kaiju.

National Competitions

Won:

Year	Championship Title	Team	Competition Organizer	Location
1992	Experienced Individual Ballet		American Kite Magazine Circuit
1992	Experienced Individual Precision		American Kite Magazine Circuit
1993	Open Quadline Ballet		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Seaside, Oregon
1994	Open Quadline Ballet		American Kite Magazine Circuit
1994	Open Quadline Ballet		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Wildwood, New Jersey
1996	Masters Team Precision	Captain Eddie's Flying Circus	American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Santa Monica, California
1997	Masters Individual Ballet		American Kite Magazine Circuit
1997	Masters Quadline Ballet		American Kite Magazine Circuit
1997	Masters Team Ballet	Captain Eddie's Flying Circus	American Kite Magazine Circuit
1997	Masters Team Precision	Captain Eddie's Flying Circus	American Kite Magazine Circuit
2004	Masters Individual Multi-line Ballet		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Seaside, Oregon
2004	Masters Individual Multi-line Precision		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Seaside, Oregon
2005	Masters Individual Quad Precision		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Ocean City, Maryland
2005	Masters Individual Ballet		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Ocean City, Maryland
2005	Experienced Team Ballet	TKS Mid-Air	American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Ocean City, Maryland
2005	Experienced Team Precision	TKS Mid-Air	American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Ocean City, Maryland
2006	Masters Individual Multi-line Precision		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Des Moines, Iowa
2006	Open Individual Outdoor Unlimited		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Des Moines, Iowa
2007	Masters Individual Multi-line Ballet		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Ocean Shores, Washington
2007	Masters Individual Multi-line Precision		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Ocean Shores, Washington
2008	Open Pairs Multi-line Precision	Furious George	American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
2012	Open Individual Indoor Unlimited		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Enid, Oklahoma
2013	Masters Individual Multi-line Ballet		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Seaside, Oregon
2013	Masters Individual Multi-line Precision		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Seaside, Oregon
2013	Masters Pairs Multi-line Ballet	REVOL	American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Seaside, Oregon
2013	Masters Pairs Multi-line Precision	REVOL	American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Seaside, Oregon
2018	Masters Individual Multi-line Ballet		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Shreveport, Louisiana
2018	Masters Individual Multi-line Precision		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Shreveport, Louisiana
2018	Masters Individual Ballet		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Shreveport, Louisiana
2018	Masters Individual Precision		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Shreveport, Louisiana
2018	Open Indoor Unlimited		American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals	Shreveport, Louisiana

Teams in 1993, 1995, and 1997 represented the US in the bi-annual Sport Team and Competitive Kiting (STACK) World Championships.[2]

Kite designs

In 2007 Barresi partnered with Revolution Kites to design the Revolution B-Series, a "signature series" quad line kite.[10] The kite won many awards and quickly became the standard for quad line kite pilots around the globe.[6][11] The model was discontinued on January 1, 2017.[12]

In June 2011 working with Into The Wind, Barresi released the Kymera, a dual line stunt kite.[13] The model was discontinued in 2018.

In September 2017, Barresi announced his founding a kite company Kite Forge and its inaugural kite, the Kaiju, a dual line kite for indoor flight and light outdoor winds. The Kaiju won Kite Addict Magazine's "most versatile 2 line kite" award for 2018 and Kite Forge was runner up for the kite manufacturer of the year.[14]

In August 2018, Barresi announced the Djinn, a quad line kite. Despite a short time on the market the kite received many votes in the 2018 Kite Addict survey for best 4 line kite of the year, and runner up as New Kite of the Year.[14] The design won the 2019 Kite Addict New Kite of the Year award.[15]

References

1. Kite & Friends. "John Barresi interview 20 November 2015". Retrieved February 26, 2020.
2. "John Barresi Biography". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
3. "American Kitefliers Association Leadership". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
4. Troy Gunn. "Issue 48: Weifang International Kite Festival". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
5. "World Sport Kite Championships 2006". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
6. "2008 KTAI Award Winners". Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2020. Kite Trade Association International Best New Kite of 2008.
7. "2008 AKA Lifetime Achievement Award". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
8. Quad Line Mega Fly - World Record - 101 Kites in 2019 on YouTube
9. Quad Line Mega Fly - World Record - 81 Kites in 2013 on YouTube
10. John Norton Mitchell. "History of the Revolution 1.5". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
11. Barry "Bazzer" Poulter. "Best Kite of 2010: B-Series Pro". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
12. John Barresi. "Kitelife.com post End of an era". Retrieved February 22, 2020. I will no longer be endorsing any Revolution kites as of January 1st 2017, so this is the last year all types of B-Series will be made (including factory models).
13. "Kitelife Forum post Kymera Final". Retrieved February 22, 2020. Looks like manufacturing has been delayed until June, so it'll be a little late out of the gate, but it's coming.
14. "Kite Addict Awards 2018". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
15. "Kite Addict Awards 2019". Retrieved February 26, 2020.